I Was Here
by Paranormal Tribute
Summary: A new case involving an old flame from Casey's life makes it even hard for a certain blonde to confess her feelings for the ADA. What happens when someone gets hurt along the way? In the end, who will Casey decide? Or will someone else decide for her? (Amanda/Casey)Read and Review.
1. Lateness of the Hour

**A/N: There are two—wait no, three reasons I decided to write this, 1, I absolutely love Diane Neal in basically ANYTHING. 2, my other story is coming to a close, 3, the song 'I was here' by Beyoncé. Please trust, I am not a huge Beyoncé fan. But that one song caught my attention. (The reason for the song to be mentioned in future chapters)  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my original characters. Everything else should proceed to go to their rightful respectful owners. In other words, I don't own squat except what I create. **

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><p>"<em>I want to say I lived each day, until I died. And know that I meant something in, somebody's life"<em>

_-Beyoncé Knowles-Carter_

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><p>Not one day in her whole entire time working as an ADA had she ever been late. No matter what, she had never been late to anything. As she recalls her mother's words correctly, she was born on the exact date that the doctors had predicted; November 17. And if Casey Novak wasn't even late to her own birth, she'll be damned if she's going to be late to work.<p>

"Hold the elevator!" The redhead basically shouted. She had no plans what so ever to run in her heels to an elevator. She'd rather be late to work and make a fool of herself than to fall on her ass and make a fool of herself.

Thankfully, whoever was in the elevator at 8:45 am decided to hold the door. Casey mumbled out a thank you and tried to rearrange her briefcase in her hand.

"Casey, I've never taken you to show up to work late." Abbie smirked taking in the ADA's disorganization.

"Oh," Casey mumbled trying to straighten out her pants suit not fully acknowledging her best friend. "Hi Abigail."

Abbie cocked her head to the side and made an extremely confused face at Casey. She stood like that for a while before a smile crept on her face in a mischievous manner. "I know what's going on…"

The seemed to catch Novak's attention. "What do you know?" She tried not to give anything away. Especially since Abbie could hear an ant fart on cotton in the next tri-state.

"Well, I didn't know anything until now." Abbie beamed.

Lord, Casey hated it when Abbie got like this. "Okay, what do you think you know?"

The brunette danced on the balls of her feet like a pre-teen girl seeing a One Direction concert with Justin Bieber as the opening act. "I know a certain _blonde_ has got your mind." (Extreme emphasis on blonde)

But before Novak could question her silly friend any further, the elevator dinged on Abigail's floor. Abbie walked out the elevator with a mischievous smirk on her face leaving Casey alone in the metal compartment, confused. She'll never be able to get over how Abbie seemed to know everything that went on in the office. Casey had been frightened by the woman's friendliness and curiosity at first. But soon after they became friends, she realized Abbie was quite the gossipier. Making Casey limit her words.

Now on an automatic drive, the redheaded ADA began walking towards her office. Not that surprised by the emptiness of the hallways; which only echoed the sound of her heels on the floor beneath her. She fumbled in her pockets for the keys to her office.

'Ah ha' she said to herself after finding them. But she stopped dead in her tracks at the sight in front of her. A lump formed in her throat the size of a baseball and her mind went foggy. _Why is she waiting at my office?_

The blonde's attention turned to Casey. Pulling the two ear buds out her ears, she smiled. "Hey Casey."

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><p><strong>So, I understand some people may be a little pissed at me for making this thing roughly 500 words, but, that's because I wanted to leave it open-ended. <strong>

**I had originally planned for this to be Amanda/Casey, but then the thought of Alex/Casey entered my mind. What do you think? Drop a review and let me know :)**


	2. Real Smooth

**So I have decided to let this be Amanda/Casey because I think it would be an amazing and interesting ship to write. Sorry for the delay, but here it is.**

**Same disclaimer applies...I own nothing but my imagination and what I create**

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><p>"<em>We were born ready, wherever it leads. What we have is all we need"<em>

_Jahan & Yasmine Yousaf_

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><p><em>The blonde's attention turned to Casey. Pulling the two ear buds out her ears, she smiled. "Hey Casey."<em>

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><p>The sudden change of name from counselor to Casey didn't go unnoticed by the redhead, causing her to blush scarlet for a moment. "Uh, hey Amanda." She said beginning to unlock her office door, trying her hardest not to ignore a pair of sea green eyes scanning her over. "Something I can help you with?"<p>

Casey entered her office, Amanda following suit.

Amanda stuffed her hands in her jeans pockets. "Yeah, well not me. The squad actually. We need a warrant for Adam Samson's apartment."

Casey set her desk up for a day of work before looking back at the blonde. "And you came at 9 am just to tell me that?" She smirked slightly at the blonde's nervousness. At least that's what it seemed like to Casey.

"Well, it's 10:30 now. But, um yeah. I was kinda late to work also so I just figured it'd be best to do it now…" Amanda tucked a lock of blonde hair that had fallen from her loose ponytail behind her ear. Casey did a nod of understanding before turning around to the coffeepot with her mug in hand. Amanda quickly scolded herself mentally for looking at the ADA's backside through the tight pants suit.

"Rollins?" Casey said again waving her hand.

The detective realized she had been talking. "I'm sorry, I zoned out a bit there. What were you saying?"

"I'll get that warrant written now." Casey smiled blushing, sitting down at her desk.

"Thanks, Casey. Guess I'll see you later?" Amanda headed towards the office door leaving a final smile.

"Amanda?"

Hearing her name, she quickly turned around. "Yeah?"

"Have a nice day."

Amanda Rollins sent another smile, of course non-hesitantly before exiting. The ginger ADA let out a relaxed sigh. _Why can't things just be any simpler? 'Have a nice day?' What the hell, Casey!_

A knock at her door diverted her attention towards the mahogany. "I just saw your girlfriend. And from the blush in her cheeks and yours, something tells me—"Abigail began. But she only bursted into helpless laughter as her best friend began softly banged her head on the desk.

"Ugh…" Casey groaned blushing bright scarlet for the 1 millionth time in all of 30 minutes.

"My best friend's got a crush. My best friend's got a crush. My best friend's got a crush." Abbie chanted.

Casey threw at pen at her, but the raven haired woman dodged it perfectly. She continued chanting as she exited the office, leaving a confused and annoyed Casey Novak.

Just then, her iPhone buzzed from within her briefcase. As she read the text message, her heart dropped.

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><p>Amanda continued mentally slapping herself as she walked the next 5 blocks to the 1-6th. Could she be any more stupid? Showing up the office of the one person she found herself staring at. <em>Nice move, Amanda. Real smooth.<em>

"Amanda?" Fin said for the sixth time after watching her sit down at her desk and open her laptop almost robotically all while mumbling to herself. But the junior detective still hadn't heard Fin. Fin sat back in his chair, all while balling up a piece of strayed paper and throwing it at Amanda.

"What the hell, Fin!" She exclaimed flustering from being attacked with paper. (Which only earned laughter from the male detective along with Nick and Olivia)

"You've been staring off into space and mumbling to yourself ever since you've gotten here." Fin explained a smile still on his face. "You wanna tell me what going on?"

"Guys," Amanda began as she leaned back in her chair. "I can't just be a little distracted without something going on?"

"Yes." The three detectives answered in unison.

"Y'all just love poking around in my personal business don't you?" Rollins drawled.

"Damn straight. Now spill." Olivia said in a 'hell yeah' tone, clearly showing she was a bit more interested in Amanda's life than the forever growing stack of paperwork on her desk.

Before Amanda could do any more question avoiding, Cragen exited his office. His face and tone clearly showed something was serious. "Liv, can I have a word?" He didn't receive a reply as he quickly walked back into his office.

"It was nice working with ya." Nick laughed. Olivia sent him a death glare before continuing into her boss' office.

"Close the door." Captain Donald Cragen said in an authoritative tone. The brunette did as told and faced her captain.

"What's going on, Cap?" Olivia wanted to know.

"Last night, Captain Harper Jadriza was beaten and assaulted in her loft. Now, her own squad cannot touch her case. 1pp is handing it over to us."

"Captain Jadriza, isn't she Brooklyn SVU's captain?" Olivia asked. Cragen nodded sadly. "Do they have a suspect?"

"Well, there is quite a suspect list. I need Fin and Amaro going over all her cases looking for anyone that could hold a grudge. I want you and Rollins to go and interview Harper."

"We're on it, Captain." The senior detective reassured as she began to head out the office.

"And Liv, go by the book with this one." Don added.

"Casey?" Olivia Benson called out as they exited the elevator to the floor where Harper's loft was located. Amanda looked up and saw the red hair clear as day.

The ADA in question turned and faced the two female cops. "Liv, Amanda? What are you two doing here?"

"We're working Captain Harper Jadriza's case. What are you doing here?" Amanda asked.

"Her case? What do you mean?" Casey furrowed her eyes brows together.

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><p><strong>What did you think? Don't forget to review! For those disappointed with AmandaCasey...I guess you're just kinda disappointed? Not to be rude but...yeah so...I-I'll just go now...**


	3. Just Great

"_It's all a mystery. Let it come and let it be"_

_- Veela_

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><p>"<em>Her case? What do you mean her case?" Casey furrowed her eyebrows together.<em>

"Captain, can you tell us what happened?" Olivia asked as she began the interview. Harper Jadriza descended down her loft stairs with a tissue to her nose.

The Captain's skin was a light caramel and her straight black hair was in a single braid. Harper blew her nose once more once she reached the bottom of the white stairs. "Sorry, I always seem to get the flu around this time of year."

Casey still stood in disbelief by the door, along with Amanda. The blonde was letting Olivia do the questioning for now. No one had asked yet how the ADA even knew Harper. But trust; they would definitely be getting to that.

"Its fine, Captain" Olivia replied. "How did the attack happen?"

"Please," Jadriza' voice was somewhat incoherent from the cold she had. "Call me Harper."

"Okay, Harper. What happened?"

Harper placed her hands behind her back thinking. Amanda noticed her stealing a glance at Casey. "I came home. Something seemed…off."

"How so?" Benson asked, keeping her distance as she often did with victims.

The caramel sinned woman took a step towards her door, bypassing Casey. "This vase is supposed to have 4 Amaryllis flowers inside." She said pointing to a clear tube vase on a black table directly next to the door. "As you can see, there a 3."

"Most people don't notice the small details in some things. Much less in the dark." She rubbed the back of her neck before continuing. "Um, I drew my gun and as soon as I stepped inside my living room, he put me in a sleeper hold."

"And you were out in three seconds?" The senior detective concluded.

Amanda raised her eyebrows as she watched the eye contact between Casey and Harper. Casey's emerald eyes watched Harper's every move, but the raven haired woman wouldn't look back at her.

"And before you ask, no, I did not see my attacker's face. I was unconscious for every second of it." Harper quickly said once she saw Olivia about to say something else.

"Well, thank you, for your time, Captain. We'll be in touch if we have any other questions." Benson said turning to leave. Amanda sent one last glance at Casey, before heading out.

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><p>"You buy her story?" Amanda wanted to know once they exited the loft.<p>

"Yeah. But my only question is how she affords that place with an NYPD salary." Olivia bit her bottom lip. She pressed the ground floor level button in the elevator and slowly the metal compartment began moving.

"How does she know Casey?" Amanda asked.

"Well, Casey is an ADA, Harper's a captain. They could just be friends." Olivia shrugged.

"Yeah right…" Amanda mumbled.

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><p><strong>Meanwhile…<strong>

"You not going to talk to me?" Casey scoffed. Once the two detectives had left, it left the other two women in awkward silence.

"What's there to talk about, Cassandra?" Harper asked placing her hands on her hips.

"You know you're the only person who can call me that?" The redhead let her head hang. But she could still see Harper's face turn slightly somber. Harper didn't say anything as she grabbed the clear vase of the black table. She bit her bottom lip.

Turning the sink on to give the plant more water, she turned back to Casey. "That's because you hate your name. But if I remember correctly," She stopped and let out a small sneeze. "You love the way I say it."

The captain placed the vase back on the table. "I didn't plan any of this happening. I-I just thought you should know."

Casey took a timid step further. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine." But an unimpressed look for Casey made Harper continue. "Really, I am. I am perfectly fine."

The two settled in silence again before Casey asked, "When did you get back?"

"Last week." The taller woman answered quietly.

"You told me you weren't coming back. I thought I'd never see you again." Casey was slightly frustrated with her. Harper Jadriza had broken her heart.

"Don't you think I know that? I-I didn't mean to hurt you, Case. I swear I-I didn't. I was dealing with alo—"Harper was cut off by Casey taking a few more steps closer and embracing her in a hug.

The ADA wrapped her arms around Harper's neck. Even though Harper was caught off guard, she melted into the embrace. "It is okay, Harper, I'm not mad. Just please don't leave me like that again." Casey whispered as she leant her head on the other woman's neck.

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><p><strong>1-6<strong>**th**** Precinct 4 Hours Later**

Seeing as most of the other branches throughout Manhattan had been shut down due to a power outage, the detectives sat at their desks doing paperwork. Except for Amanda and Fin; who had long since started a game of throwing paper into the trash bin.

Cragen stood in the doorway of his office just watching his detectives. He had never seen Amanda so relaxed. And for the first time, Olivia seemed to drop her superwoman shield.

"Rollins," His voice said bringing her along with Fin out their game. He held up a file. "Take this to Novak."

Amanda nodded. Had it been any earlier, she would've interjected she might not have been at her office. But since that was quite some time ago, she took the file from him and made her way to the DA's office.

"Try not to stare at her ass this time." Fin whispered jokingly.

Amanda mouthed 'fuck you' before continuing on her way.

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><p>"Hey Casey." Amanda said as she sped up her pace to catch up with the redhead, who had just got back from court. Casey's attention however was on her cell phone. She had just looked up to send the blonde a slight smile as the two entered the elevator; alone.<p>

"This is probably the third time I've seen you today." Casey chuckled pocketing her phone. "Not that I'm complaining." This made Amanda blush from head to toe.

"Yeah, um" She began clearing her throat. "Cragen wanted me to give you this." Their fingers met briefly when the blonde handed over the file.

"Good, I needed this." Casey said with a sigh of relief. "I'm glad they fixed the power her—"

The whole entire elevator seemed to rock massively. The lights inside the elevator went out and the cart stopped going up floors. Amanda took a grip of the bar on the wall to steady her. Casey followed suit on the same wall.

"What the hell is going on?" Casey called out. The rocking continued for another 3 minutes before it stopped. The two ladies however were left in the dark, not moving. The only light was an overhead emergency LED light. They could just barely make out each other.

"You okay?" Amanda asked letting go of the cart.

"Yeah. I think. What the hell just happened?" Casey asked to no one in particular.

"Possibly an earthquake…" Amanda sighed.

"Oh just great. Just fucking great." Casey groaned.

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><p><strong>I wonder what will happen with two of SVU's ladies trapped in a dark elevator...Leave a review?<strong>


	4. Elevator Complications

**_"Nothing new is easy."_**

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><p><em>"Oh great. Just fucking great." Casey groaned.<em>

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><p>Amanda Rollins had rarely ever heard the redhead use such foul language before. But she must admit, it did sound extremely sexy coming out Casey's mouth. As if on cue, Amanda's phone rang from inside her pocket. Not even checking the caller ID, she answered it.<p>

While Amanda was on the phone, Casey took this time to actually observe the detective. From a distance in the dark that is. With the glare of the blonde's phone light she was able to see, the top 2 buttons to Amanda's dark green blouse had been undone, and Casey wasn't sure if it was done on purpose. The younger woman leaned against the wall of with her legs crossed, tapping her left foot as if to some imaginary song. But Casey thought it was the most adorable thing.

Once the blonde hung up the phone, she averted her eyes back to Casey. Novak quickly moved her glance all the while having her cheeks flush red. She hoped it was dark enough Amanda couldn't see.

"Fin says we could be in here for 45 minutes to an hour." Amanda said sighing.

"So it was an earthquake?" Casey asked.

"Yeah. He didn't saw the level, unfortunately." Amanda paused for a moment. "But I could image it was kinda large."

"I knew a woman who was from Japan. She was back home in March 2011 for her mother's birthday when that whole tsunami earthquake disaster happened." Casey explained sadly.

"I'm sorry. Is she still alive?" Amanda asked curiously.

"Yeah. She works here, actually." Casey stopped and cleared her throat. "But the sad thing is; everyone she called family is dead. Her mother included."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I think that if I died, my mother would throw a party." Casey couldn't see it, but Amanda rolled her eyes with slight humor.

"Mines too. Not like we ever really got along…" Casey trailed off. When did it suddenly become so easy to talk around the detective? It's like the two ever really associated outside of anything work related. But for some strange reason, it felt like she could talk for hours with Amanda. Maybe being trapped in an elevator wouldn't be so bad?

Amanda nodded, taking in this new information about Novak's history. Her own thoughts got clouded with her family life as the elevator faded into silence.

"Oh great…" The ADA mumbled, bring Amanda out her thoughts.

"What's wrong?" Amanda called out into utter darkness.

"Somehow, in the dark expanse of this metal death trap, I seemed to have lost my ring." Casey groaned. "Do you mind shining your phone light?"

"No problem." Amanda couldn't see why a smile was tugging at her lips as she reached in her pocket for her phone.

"This really isn't your day, Casey…" Amanda mumbled, this time with a slight frown. "My battery died literally just now." Amanda put her dead cellphone in her back pocket. "But I'll be glad to help you look for the ring."

"Thanks, Amanda. It should be somewhere in here…" Casey said. And with that, the two of them got down on their knees and began crawling around in the dark. Eventually, they had found the ring.

At one point however…

Amanda had reached the far corner of the elevator, and along with Casey, was just about to give up looking for it. She almost screamed out a number of profanities when she felt a hand over top of hers. But then the blonde remembered it was just Casey's hand. Her lingering scent of jasmine helped.

"Oh, sorry, Amanda." Casey smirked slightly, not moving her hand.

"Uh-Uh, it's fine." Amanda mustered out. She could barely form a sentence with the redhead's smooth palm over top of hers.

Just then, the lights in the elevator flickered on. Piercing green eyes were looking directly into blue. Amanda's mind felt suddenly covered in a think blanket as Novak made zero effort to move her hand, or much less her eyes. She needed to do one of the other, quick.

Casey however was at a crossroads. First, she finds out her ex supposedly was raped and that she was back in town, and now, whatever was going on in front of her. God, can things get anymore complicated? Out of confidence, confusion and pure lust, Amanda kissed the ADA softly on the lips. When she pulled away, Casey just looked her in the eye, a million emotions behind her emerald orbs.

The two woman stood up. Amanda immediately regretted what she did. But what she didn't know was that Casey was replaying the whole thing.

"I'm sorry if I-" The younger woman began. The elevator cart started moving again, much to Casey's surprise.

"No, it's fine. It's just things are really complicated for me. Relationship wise that is."

Amanda nodded her head in understanding. "Is that how you know Harper Jadriza?" She couldn't understand why, but hurt flashed behind her eyes. The elevator came to a stop on the ground floor.

"Yeah it is-" The elevator doors opened and Amanda started to exit. "Amanda!" Casey called out. The few electricians who had fixed the elevator looked to her with confusion.

Things just got complicated.

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><p><strong>Sorry this is short but, I got a burst of inspiration to write this today instead of making y'all wait a week. And thank you very much for the support on this. I feel like some type of idiot for just now noticing that HistoryGeek1399, not some phony, THE HistoryGeek1399 reviewed on this story. That makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. So thanks alot btw! <strong>


	5. Mixed Emotions

The sour burning of Vodka down her throat seemed to make everything feel alright. The sourness turned sweet as she forgot. Even if for a while. She had gotten used to the burn. The numbness. She didn't usually drink her problems away. Hell, she barely ever drank Vodka. But tonight was different. Things had never been so complicated for her. She was used to being the person who fixed things—not the one who was broken. She laughed to herself as she took another swing. It was so cliché. She couldn't hide it, she had feelings for Amanda. The blonde had always been so reassuring, so careful, and it wasn't because of the gun on her hip that made Casey Novak feel safe around her. It would never be the gun on her hip.

But then there was Harper. Casey was still pissed over that—and heartbroken. But for some reason, Casey felt obligated to be there for her. Two voices screamed back and forth in her head. One said Amanda, the other said Harper. There would be no easy decision as to what happened. All the redhead could hope was that the Belvedere streaming down her throat made her forget her problems, for a while. Just as she had finished the bottle, a knock at her apartment door had made her head start to throb. Quickly gathering herself, she walked towards the door stumbling slightly.

"Who is it?" Novak called out.

"Casey, it's me. We need to talk." The drawled voice answered. Casey would recognize that voice anywhere.

"No we don't." But her voice said otherwise.

"You can't ignore your problems, Casey. Or drink them away."

The redhead ADA opened her door, her face full of confusion. "How did you know I was drinking?"

"I can smell the Vodka from the elevator, Casey. Please let me in, we need to talk." Amanda said. Casey couldn't remember the last time she had seen Amanda so casually dressed. Clad in a pair of skinny jeans, and a spearmint pullover hoodie, Amanda stood just inside Casey's door. Casey never thought the blonde would actually be in her apartment, never the less under these circumstances.

_She looks fantastic in green._

"So you have been drinking the night away?" Amanda asked, pulling Casey away from her thoughts. A sudden wave of guilt, shame and embarrassment ran through Casey Novak, but she managed to keep a poker face.

"You said we needed to talk," Casey interjected. "So go ahead."

"It wasn't fair of me to just walk away. Especially since I kissed you. You have every right to be mad at me. I'm sorry if I made things worst. If it bothers you that much I'll try to—"Amanda was stopped short of her sentence by Casey pressing her lips onto her own. Although caught off guard, the junior detective found herself unconsciously moving her hands to the base of Casey's skull. The sweet taste of Vodka filter her tongue.

When the need for air became too heavy, they pulled away from each other right as Casey said, "Now what were you saying?" She smirked.

"Nothing that's important now." Amanda answered. She opened her mouth to say something else, but decided against it.

"What were you going to say?" Casey asked.

"How _do _you know Harper Jadriza?" The blonde wasn't going to be labeled a homewrecker by the NYPD because of someone else.

"I dated her."

"Dated as in used to?" Amanda stuffed her hands into her jean pockets, an old habit.

"Yeah. Last month, she um...She accepted a transfer in France. We both agreed a long distance relationship wouldn't work so we called it quits." Casey showed obvious discomfort with the question.

"You love her." Amanda murmured.

"Loved. Things are different between us now." Casey didn't dare say the 'L' word to Amanda. Not yet anyway.

"I can tell."

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><p>It had been about 3 weeks after Amanda showed up at Casey's apartment. Ever since then, the two's relationship moved slowly. No one knew about it except Alex and Olivia, not by choice. Their friendship strengthened, but their romance grew with a slow pace. Casey had saw the hurt past relationships had brought to Amanda. The redhead swore she wouldn't break Amanda's heart. It was basically fact that they learned more about each other over the past 14 days than they have the whole 3 years Amanda had been working with the squad.<p>

"Why is your mother so persistent on calling me Cassandra?" Casey Novak groaned as she watch Alex hang up her phone call with the one and only Mrs. Cabot.

"The same reason she calls me Alexandra, and Kim;Kimberly and Abbie; Abigail." Alex answered, groaning herself. It was 10 minutes to 1 in the morning. The two had decided to finish the extreme paperwork stack they had by pulling an all nighter. "What is your middle name anyway?"

Casey lifted her tired head off of Alex' desk. "Mae." She was so tired, she didn't care.

Alexandra's face lit up with a smile. "That is so cute! Cassandra Mae Novak. And what a coincidence, isn't Amanda's middle name Fae?" The blonde wiggled her eyebrows.

Before Casey could retort, her cellphone buzzed from her back pocket. She almost thought about not answering. "Novak." She answered into the phone sleepily. She listened with her eyes shut and her head on the desk to what the voice had to say. Alex looked confused at her best friend as the redhead shot up from the desk chair.

"I'll be right there." Casey scampered around take-out cartons and empty bottles of Pepsi and Mountain Dew from her coat as she hung up the phone.

"What's going on Casey?" Alex asked concerned.

"Amanda's been attacked."

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><p><strong>I have a feeling someone out there is saying 'Oh shit'. Am I right? Sorry for that cliffhanger, (not). Leave a review on what you think is going on.<br>**


	6. Dangerous Connections I

**Since I received such *beautiful* and *nice* reviews, I decided to give this to you. **

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><p>"Counselor didn't expect to see you here." Cragen said his emotion sober as he watched Casey rush into the ER.<p>

The redhead had too many thoughts running through her head to hear him. She looked around at the ER. Only Olivia, Cragen, Nick, Fin and she consisted of the room at 1 am. Casey barely remembered leaving Alex' office, she barely remembered getting into her car, and she definitely didn't remember driving down empty streets above the speed limit. She was only grateful she didn't get pulled over.

"I-is that blood?" Casey asked as he took in Nick's shirt. Nick brought his head out of his hands and just looked at Casey, too afraid to say it. "What the hell happened?" Olivia placed a hand on Casey's shoulder, some type of secret sign to tell her everything was okay.

"We caught a case in Queens. Fin and Olivia weren't on call. I called Amanda 4 times she didn't answer." Nick paused and took a breath. "When I went to her apartment, the door was open. She was laying there with a knife in her stomach. He was still there."

"She was r-raped?" Casey asked with disbelief, but it was more of a statement. When no one said anything, she looked at Fin, who was icing his knuckles. "What happened to you?"

"I put him in a chokehold so hard he's gonna be eating through a straw for months." Fin answered angrily.

Olivia decided it was time she said something, before the rest the squad asked what Casey really here for. "Casey, why don't you and I go and talk to Amanda?" Even with confused looks from the rest of the squad, Casey followed Liv into Room 125.

The redhead's heart broke at the sight. There she was, the woman Casey came to love, lying in a hospital gown with her blonde bangs covering her face.

Seeing that the other two women stayed silent, Amanda spoke up. "Well hello to you." Her tone was meant to be humorous, but her voice told another story.

"A-Amanda, I am so sorry this happened." Casey stuttered out.

"Casey, I'm fine." Receiving a look of disbelief, she continued. "Seriously, I'll live."

The room door opened and Nick entered, this time with a non-bloody shirt. "Can I see you two out here?" The two women sent Amanda another concerned look before exiting.

"There's been another rape." Nick said sharply.

"What? How? You said the guy was still there?" Casey quizzed confused.

"Yes, we have Melinda running DNA from Amanda's rape kit and Harper's." He paused when he say Casey cringe slightly at the mention of a rape kit. "But another woman, Clarity Maddox and her sister, Paige were raped also. Found two hours ago unconscious in Clarity's apartment. Raped the same way as Amanda and Harper."

"So we have a serial on our hands?" Olivia concluded.

"Did you say Clarity Maddox?" Casey spoke up.

"Yeah, why?" Nick asked.

"S-She's my paralegal. She's worked for me for the last 3 years." Casey shook her head in disbelief. This was not happening. This is not happening. But her head rose sharply as a new thought entered her mind. "Where are her daughters?"

"What?" The detective's said in unison.

"She has two daughters. Where are they?" She asked again.

"Uni's didn't find any children at the scene, Casey." Nick answered.

"I have seen those two kids with my own eyes. Where are they?"

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><p><strong>Next Day<strong>

"Casey you know Cragen and Cutter aren't about to let you work this case." Olivia tried to explain as she watched Casey shuffle through Clarity's desk.

Novak practically slammed the bottom file drawer closed as she stood up. "I don't care. I have a connection to all of the victims."

The brunette let out a sigh. Maybe it was true. Any woman who's worked at SVU is stubborn as hell. "How much do you know about this Clarity girl anyway?"

"She's certified to have her own law firm by now, but she refuses to leave. One of her daughters is 12 the other is 14." Casey looked up at the cork board behind Clarity's desk. Pulling a medium sized photo off, she walked back towards Olivia and handed her the photo. "She's a good mother, Olivia."

The detective took a look at the photo. A tall girl with long straight deep red hair stood in a chair next to a girl slightly shorter with short hair of the same color. Olivia was yet to meet Clarity herself, but seeing as the two girls looked very alike she would figure they looked like their mother as well.

"I'm not saying she isn't. But the only place we can put the girl's is with whoever raped Clarity and Paige. And possibly, Harper. But we can't be certain, Casey."

"I know, I know." Casey sighed. "My ex, my current girlfriend and now my paralegal, who is also a friend."

"Is there anything else similar between Amanda, Harper and Clarity?"

The ADA stood thinking for a moment. "She's a lesbian. If that even matters." She sighed again.

"Okay, do you if her sister is also?" Olivia asked, thinking they were finally getting somewhere with the case.

"No. I've only spoken to Paige once. I can feel a gay vibe a mile away." Casey answered. "Like for example, I know you have the hots for Kim."

Olivia didn't reply and began to pull her phoneher jacket, all the while blushing scarlet. Casey Novak watched a little dazed by her thoughts as Liv talked to Fin on the phone. The conversation was brief and soon enough, Olivia turned back around to Casey.

"That was Fin. Clarity just woke up."

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><p><strong>I bet I had some of y'all scared as shit with that cliffhanger. Who is the one planning all this? I know you all got some creative ideas as to who...<strong>


	7. Dangerous Connections II

**Thanks for the reviews :) Btw, there will be a lot of drama in this, along with Pairings…**

**I wrote two chapters in one day. You guys deserve it since I made you wait so long**

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><p><em>Dangerous Connections <em>

_Part II: Hostile Revelations _

The wrinkle of confusion only increased on Casey's forehead as they arrived at the hospital. Jackson, the nurse at the front desk pointed them down the hall where Clarity and Paige's hospital room was, but once Olivia and Casey reached the end of the hall, they noticed doctors and nurses swamping in and out of room 124.

"Gracelynn?" Olivia said as she tapped the shoulder of the tall Asian woman exiting the room.

Gracelynn Aki spun around to face the two women. "Olivia, Casey. It's good to see you again." Gracelynn was a very good friend to the NYPD. She had helped with numerous cases over the years since 2007, when she joined the ME's office as an assistant to Melinda. It was a disappointment to them however that Grace left the ME's office a few short months ago.

"What's going on in there?" Casey asked concerned motioning to room 124.

"The patient has gone into cardiac arrest." Grace answered a sad look on her face.

"Wait, which patient?" Olivia asked.

"Um…"Gracelynn looked down over her clipboard. "Paige Maddox." Seeing that she had satisfied the NYPD members, she spun on her heel to return to the hospital room, but she was stopped by Olivia saying something else.

"Hey, Grace. I can inform Mel that you're working here, if you want?" Olivia said, knowing that the two doctors had had a previous relationship. She wasn't sure what had happened between the two.

Grace smiled mischievously. "What's the use in that when I can just tell her at home? Plus, she already knows."

Olivia smirked catching onto the Asian's words as she turned back to Casey. "Am I missing something?" The redhead asked.

"I'll fill you in later." The brunette said. Seeing as they couldn't do any questioning with doctors swamping the room, they settled down in the waiting room chairs.

* * *

><p>About 45 minutes later, Gracelynn returned for the finial from the hospital room. Her face was somber, immediately telling Casey that there was bad news.<p>

"Paige's heart failed. We tried everything we could." Gracelynn spoke. "I'm sorry. Were you two close?"

"She was a victim in an open rape case." Olivia answered. "Is it fine to talk to Clarity?"

Grace sighed. "Yes, but would rather you not mention her sister. She's stressed enough the rape." Olivia and Casey nodded in understanding and the two of them headed to Clarity's room.

Clarity Maddox sat with her knees up to her chest and her arms wrapping around herself protectively.

"Clare…" Casey trailed off. She hated this. She had known Clarity for years; it made her feel horrible to see someone she cared about broken like this.

"You're a sinner." The British woman mumbled.

"What?" Olivia quizzed.

"T-That's all he kept saying to me. You're living in sin. You'll burn in hell." Her voice cracked at the end as she started crying.

Being respectful of her personal space, Olivia circled the bed and sat on the edge. "Do you have any idea what he meant by that?" The brunette raised her eyebrows when Clare looked at Casey briefly, but immediately repositioned her eyes on the ground.

"No." Clarity mumbled again.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Clare, anything you say to us stays in this room." Olivia reassured. If this case couldn't get any more complicated.

"I can't. I can't tell you. They'll kill my girls…"Clarity trailed off once she remembered. "Where are my girls?"

"We're looking for them." Olivia sighed.

* * *

><p><strong>1-6<strong>**th**** Precinct**

"What do we have?" Cragen asked. The squad room consisted of Olivia, Nick, Fin, Alex, Melinda and surprising to everyone, Gracelynn Aki. And much to the disappointment of Grace, Nick was staring daggers at her. They never had a good work relationship. The only reason Casey wasn't there was because she was visiting Amanda at the hospital and because Cutter officially took her off the case.

"The fluids with Harper's rape kit match Clarity's. But here's where it gets complicated, Clarity and Harper have the same rapist. Paige and Amanda's rapist is the same too." Melinda answered, quite confused herself.

"So, Sanders, the man we found in Amanda's apartment raped Paige too? How?" Fin shook his head in disbelief.

"According to forensics, Clarity and Paige were unconscious for almost 8 hours." Melinda stated.

"I'm sorry, why is she here?" Nick scoffed pointing to Gracelynn.

"Bite me, Serpico." The brunette countered. Melinda placed a hand on her arm as a way to tell her to remain calm.

"Okay…" Cragen said awkwardly. "So we're thinking Sanders' accomplice raped Harper, then both of them meet up to rape Clarity and Paige? And then Sanders goes, rapes Amanda?"

"That's not sick, that's just disgusting." Fin growled. "Amanda fought back, that's why he stabbed her."

"How does all of this connect to Casey?" Cragen asked.

Nick decided to input his two cents. "Harper Jadriza, upper middle class because of her parents' extremely successful architectural firm. She dated Casey for almost 2 years. Now, Clarity Maddox is a single mother. She worked as a paralegal for Casey for about 4 years. Both her daughters are missing. Paige just happened to be there."

"And of course we all know that Amanda is currently dating Casey." Olivia finished.

"Clarity told us Sanders' accomplice called her a sinner. Any other statements match that?"

"Amanda says that Sanders' called her a traitor, Harper said that her rapist called her an ingrate. And we never got a chance to take Paige's statement." Olivia sighed.

"Olivia, Nick. Go interview Sanders. See if he's willing to give up his partner." Cragen ordered. Alex followed the two to watch the interview. Melinda and Gracelynn said goodbye to Cragen and exited the precinct. Fin continued to go over security footage for Clarity's apartment and Harper's loft.

* * *

><p><strong>Apartment of Gracelynn Aki &amp; Melinda Warner.<strong>

"I don't know what his problem with me is." Grace groaned as she sat down on the couch next to her girlfriend.

"Well, you did call him an asshole the first day you met him." Melinda tried to hold back a laugh remembering the day.

"That's because he thought I was a rape victim, and then had the nerve to ask if I was legal." Grace exclaimed, still upset over it. Melinda placed a tender kiss on Gracelynn's lips. It quickly began heated until Grace's cellphone rung from the other room.

Gracelynn let out a groan, knowing it was most likely work. "You better go. The city needs you." Melinda smiled. The Asian woman stood up from off the couch and disappeared into the hallway. Melinda removed herself from her couch and continued over towards the kitchen.

Pulling out a bottle of water, she took a generous sip before hearing something crash.

"Gracelynn?" The ME called out. "Grace—"She was cut off by being pushed into her kitchen counter.

"You're a degenerate. How do you sleep at night?" A husky voice growled in her ear.

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><p><strong>Uh oh...What will happen next? Guess what! You don't have to wait...<strong>


	8. Dangerous Connections III

**Ta-da...**

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><p><em>Dangerous Connections<em>

_Part lll: The Real Criminal_

Her back was too him, she couldn't see him. Especially since there was no light on in her kitchen. She began struggling against him. He pinned her wrists behind her. Just as she was about scream bloody murder, he pressed a knife to her neck.

"Scream and your pretty girlfriend will pay." That made Mel instantly shut up. She wasn't risking Gracelynn's life. She faintly heard the unzipping of jeans and she instantly when into panic mode. The man was too caught up in his pants to watch Melinda spin around in his grasp. Before he could do anything, she kneed in his manhood. Grabbing the knife out his hands, she stabbed him in the stomach, twice. He shouted a number of profanities as he hit the floor.

This was enough noise to pull Grace back out of the other room. "Holy fucking shit, Mel."

* * *

><p>"Um, Detective Benson?" Clarity said as she walked up to the brunette's desk.<p>

"Clarity." Olivia said standing. "How are you?"

"C-Can I talk to you? In private?" The blonde looked around nervously.

"Sure." Olivia led Clare to the victim interrogation room. The two sat across from each other for a few minutes before Clarity spoke up.

"I-I didn't want to tell you because they'll hurt Allie, Lily and Casey. I just couldn't…" Clarity trailed off.

"Wait, what does Casey have to do with this?" Olivia asked.

"Allie and Lily are her daughters. Not mines. I-I couldn't tell her or they would've killed me and Casey. T-The reason I kept working for her was because I wanted her to know her daughters. A-And Harper she knew. She set it up. She set it all up. I-I'm so sorry." Clarity stopped talking and started crying.

This was deeper than they thought.

* * *

><p>Amanda was thankful for the peacefulness Casey had been giving her for the past day. The doctors requested Casey stay with her at all times. And Amanda wasn't going to say no to that. So know the couple lay on Casey's bed. The blonde had her head on Casey's chest listening to the steady calm rhythm of the ADA's heartbeat. Casey's arm was wrapped around Amanda protectively.<p>

"I love you." Casey declared. The two had long since given up on sleep.

"Say it again." Amanda whispered a smile on her face.

"I love you Amanda Rollins." Casey repeated smiling also.

"You sure you want to love someone broken?" Amanda sighed.

"You are smart, beautiful, compassionate, and funny and I could go on and on. But you are not broken. You're brave." Casey reassured planting a kiss on Amanda's head.

The two had settled back into a comfortable silence for a few more minutes. The calmness of Casey's heartbeat was lulling her girlfriend in sleep. Casey's heart fluttered the tiniest when she heard what Amanda said next.

"I love you too…" Amanda mumbled as she trailed off into a deep sleep.

* * *

><p>"Go arrest her." Cragen ordered after Olivia relayed everything Clarity had told the senior detective.<p>

"You want to arrest a rape victim?" Olivia asked disagreeing.

"Captain Jadriza is not a rape victim. She's an accomplice." Cragen argued. "She set up those rapes."

"Can we at least check out her statement? I mean we have Sanders all we need is—"Olivia was cut off by her cellphone ringing.

"What's up, Gracelynn?" Olivia said into the phone.

_"I think I found Sanders' accomplice."_ Grace's tone was soft, not usual.

"Grace, what happened?" Olivia was immediately worried that Grace had been raped also.

_"Nothing, I'm fine. He broke into our apartment. Melinda's shaken up but we're fine."_

"Where are you two?"

_"CSU is tearing the apartment to shreds. Paramedics took him about an hour ago. I did everything I could but it was useless."_

"Okay, I'll be there shortly." Olivia hung up the phone. Would there ever be light at the end of the tunnel for this case?

* * *

><p><strong>Loft of Harper Jadriza<strong>

After Benson had headed out to Gracelynn and Melinda's apartment, Cragen ordered Amaro to arrest Harper.

He knocked on her door softly. "Captain Jadriza, its Detective Amaro." Within moments, the door opened to show Harper Jadriza. The wet strands of black hair sticking to her face indicating she had just exited the shower.

"Detective, please come in." Harper stepped back from the door to allow Nick in.

"Harper, you do understand I'm here to arrest you?" Nick said.

"Yes. By the warrant and cuffs in your hand. But I don't know why." Harper replied innocently as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"You set up people your ex knew to get raped." Nick declared.

"What makes you say that?" Harper asked.

"The man you hired, Jason Sanders? He gave you up. So did Clarity Maddox." Nick answered.

A lone tear slide down Harper's face, but Nick felt no pity. "T-That's not what happened at all. But you'll never understand."

"What's there to understand? You set up your own rape! If that's not sick I don't know what is." Nick growled.

"What's there to understand?" Harper echoed. "My own mother sold me! You sold me to that prick Jason. She was his wife. Of course he'll say I set it up. He has Clarity under control too. But she's the weaker link. She played the game, I didn't. You people know nothing." She began pacing the expanse of her kitchen and Nick was afraid she was on the verge of a panic attack.

"I'm sorry that happened to you." Nick said softly trying to calm her down.

"Everyone is always sorry!" Harper exclaimed. Nick eyes widened as he watched Harper grab her service weapon of her kitchen counter and put it at her temple.

"Harper, calm down. We can talk this out." Nick continued trying to calm her down.

"No." Harper said. "We can't."

And that's when the gun went off.

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><p><strong>Don't forget to review and tell me what you thought :)<strong>


	9. Born to Die

**Muahaha….OMFG, is anyone else out there pissed off at Amanda? Like what is with these cliffhangers recently! I can't believe she went back to that prick Nate .**

**That has inspired a cliffhanger of my own…**

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><p><strong>Later at the Precinct…<strong>

"What the hell happened?" Casey Novak shouted at Nick as soon as she spotted him in the precinct. The redhead had reluctantly left Amanda asleep in bed after getting the phone call of Harper's suicide at almost midnight. Amanda had insisted that Casey go find out what was going on.

"Woah, Casey calm down." Nick said holding his hands up in defense.

"No, don't fucking tell me to calm down." Casey countered. "You have all of 3 minutes to explain how the hell you went from arresting Harper to carrying her out in a body bag. But first, you have to explain why the hell you were arresting her in the first fucking place."

"She it up, Casey. She set it all up. I'm sorry." Fin explained with a sad look etched upon his face.

"W-what. No. She wouldn't have. She didn't." Casey shook her head.

"She did. Sanders was her step dad. We have to reason to believe that he raped her as a child, but we can't be sure." Fin added.

"S-she told me her dad was an asshole. But she never talked about her family." Casey covered her mouth with her hand as the first tear rolled down her face. She couldn't believe it. This was not happening. This was not happening.

* * *

><p>"You raped your own stepdaughter when she was a kid and then had someone else come back and finish the job. That's sick." Nick snarled to Jason Sanders as he slammed down two photos. One of Harper recently and one of her as a child.<p>

Jason looked at each photo, taking his time. "This is quite an interesting story you're telling. But they're just…_stories._"

"It's facts. We have records of you marrying her mother. We have records of the numerous domestic dispute calls to your house. We have Harper's medical records from when she was a kid." Fin added on quickly. He had stayed out of the interrogation up until this point. Mainly because his mind was still trying to figure out how Clarity's children could be Casey's. Although no one had told the redhead yet, they had a feeling it wouldn't be pretty when they did.

"The sooner you give yourself up, the more the likelihood of you not getting a needle increases.

Jason took a moment of thought. "Fine. So what if I did?"

"You'll serve life in prison. You're originally from Boston, right?" Nick said.

"Yeah and?"

"They freeze the Statue of limitations there the second a victim leaves the state. Harper was 14 when she left Boston. Meaning you'll be charged both here and in Boston. Have fun rotting in a cell." Fin concluded as he and Nick began to exit the room.

"Wait." Sanders said trying to bring the detectives attention. "I believe I have some information of value to you."

Nick scoffed. Was this guy really trying to play make a deal? "Yeah and?"

"I give you what you need, I get what I want." The older man answered.

"And what would that be?" Fin asked.

"Harper didn't set it up. But I know who did."

* * *

><p><strong>London, England; 7:31 am (There is a 5 hour time difference from New York to England)<strong>

Lillian Maddox walked inside Amber Hartfield General Hospital. Any other day, and she would have been glad to finally see London. Any other day, she would've killed to have a thousand dollars to blow at some of London's finest shops. Any other day, she would've been with her mother and sister. Any other day, she wouldn't be covered in Allie's blood.

Today was not one of those days.

"Young lady, are you hurt?" The young redhead heard a voice ask. When Lily looked up, her green eyes met with concerned brown ones. Nurse Jennifer was eying Lily's bloody white baseball style sweater. Only a few parts of the hem had managed to get covered in Alison's blood, sadly. But in Lily's mid, that would be dealt with later.

"No, but may I use your phone?" Lillian said in her most innocent and sweetest voice she could find. What she wanted to do was scream at the nurse; begging her to help her. But that wouldn't get her very far.

A look of uncertainty crossed the brown-eyed nurse's face, but she hesitantly handed Lily the hospital reception landline.

_Come on. Answer the phone._

* * *

><p>Once Olivia had arrived at Grace and Melinda's shared apartment, the first thing she saw was Grace and two older Asians one male one female arguing with the young woman. Even though they were talking quite softly—and not in English. Melinda stood a reasonable distance away, supposedly watching.<p>

"Melinda?" Olivia bypassed the remaining CSU techs and paramedics and touched the ME's shoulder.

Surprised by the sudden contact, Melinda jumped slightly. Seeing Olivia's face grow with concern, Melinda started talking. "I'm fine Olivia. I'm just a little shaken up."

"What happened?" Olivia shouldn't even be here. Melinda lived in Brooklyn, out of her jurisdiction.

"CSU says he got in through the fire escape. Grace went to take a phone call and h-he put me against the counter. He was unzipping his pants. I went into panic mode; I thought he was going to rape me, Olivia." Melinda sighed. She realized how bad the situation could've been. She could've been dead right now.

Olivia opened her mother to say something else, but stopped when she noticed Melinda's brown eyes elsewhere.

"You call us if anything is wrong, Gracelynn." Zoey Aki warned her eldest daughter as she and her husband headed for the door.

"Yes, mother. I assure you, I will call if anything is wrong." Gracelynn answered.

"We are you and Melinda staying?" Justin Aki asked this time.

Grace raised an eyebrow at her parents. "Here of course." The three continued their conversation outside in the hallway as Grace walked her parents out.

"Her parents must be a head case." Olivia commented.

"No. They just don't fully approve of me yet…" Melinda answered a little awkwardly.

"Yet? You two have been dating for almost a year?" Olivia said.

"They want Gracelynn to be perfect. That's all."

"Yeah right." Olivia scoffed. Melinda was preparing an answer that would defeat what Olivia was hinting at, but the brunette's phone rang. (No surprise there)

"Hello?" Olivia said into the phone.

"_Hello, Detective Benson." _A child's voice rung through Olivia's ear.

"Who is this?" Olivia asked. Normally, she would've been scared to receive a phone call from a stranger.

"_My name is Lily. I am 12 years old. You don't know me, yet. But we've already met. I need two things from you."_

"Lily, are you in trouble?"

"_No."_

"What do you need? Where are you? I'm sure we can get you here."

"_I need two planes from Gatwick Airport to MHK. I also need to speak with my mother."_

"Okay, Lily. And who would that be?"

"_Cassandra Novak."_

* * *

><p><strong>Don't hate me. I couldn't help but leave that cliffhanger :) A new chapter for Awoken will be up soon!<br>**

**So what will happen next? Will Casey want to talk to her apparent daughter? What information does Sanders have? Why is Lily and Allie in England? How does Amanda feel about all of this? Who caused all this trouble?**

**Leave what you think will happen next in the reviews :)**


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